Mosquera-Perea and Jurkin both were hit with a 30 percent competition penalty for benefits they received from their summer coach, Mark Adams of Indiana Elite. According to IU, the catch is those benefits were not considered to be impermissible under NCAA rules — except for the fact each chose to play for the Hoosiers.

Because Adams donated a total of $185 to the IU Varsity Club over a six-year period two decades ago, he is considered by the NCAA to be a booster. Thus the benefits must be partially repaid and Mosquera-Perea and Jurkin, barring a successful appeal, will not be allowed to play until the Hoosiers’ Dec. 15 game against Butler in Indianapolis.

It seems like an awfully harsh penalty to assign based largely on a technicality.

“It’s hard to look at anything that’s out there right now and see where this is justified,” Crean said.

Crean believes IU can win the appeal.

“Really when you look at the facts and you take them as the facts, and you eliminate opinion from it, then it’s really hard to see it not being that way,” Crean said. “My biggest concern has been, and will be, having two guys that don’t have any idea why this is happening and having them remember they’ve done nothing wrong. No one has.

“We’re trying to deal it best that we can. The best thing they can do is continue being the great teammates and great students they’ve been since they walked in here.”

After taking over the IU program in a severely damaged state in April 2008, with ultimately every scholarship player departing the program -- either voluntarily or involuntarily, as NBA early entrants or transfers -- Crean is not easily surprised by developments. But the nine-game suspensions left him “shocked, to a degree, disappointed at a high level -- no question.”

Perhaps the ultimate question over how to rule on Mosquera-Perea and Jurkin should involve the amount of money that seems to be problematic.

When Kentucky’s John Wall was found in 2009 to have received $800 in impermissible benefits for unofficial campus visits, he was ordered by the NCAA to sit one regular-season game. When Josh Selby at Kansas was found to have received $5,757.58 in impermissible benefits, reportedly from a business manager connected to an NBA player, he was hit with a nine-game suspension.

“This doesn’t seem to match up with anything,” Crean said. “I’m still waiting to see where it does.”